Peace jirga contacts aggrieved families

11 November 2005The DawnOur Correspondent

Gilgit: A grand jirga that which signed a peace agreement on November 7 has constituted two committees, each comprising 18 members, to contact the aggrieved families who have lost their relatives and property in recent disturbances in the Northern Areas. The jirga, comprising prominent people of two warring sects, has approached the affected families and asked them to forgive those responsible for losses incurred by them during the riots. Sources said that the affected families had been offered compensation if they agreed to accept the terms set by the jirga for restoring peace in the city. The city has been in grip of violence for the past 17 months, claiming 92 lives and leaving a large number of people injured. Northern Areas Legislative Council Speaker Malik Mohammad Miskeen, who has been spearheading the jirga sessions, told journalists that they were assessing the situation. He said they would not be able to say anything about the detained religious leaders until the peace efforts took momentum. The speaker said that the jirga would be accorded legal status and its hierarchy would be devolved to grassroots level.